“For it is impossible for those who were once enlightened, and have tasted of the heavenly gift, and were made partakers of the Holy Ghost, and have tasted the good Word of God, and the powers of the world to come, if they shall fall away, to renew them again unto repentance, seeing they crucify to themselves the Son of God afresh and put Him to an open shame.” Heb. 6:4-6.
I shall set out by stating it as my firm persuasion that the Holy Ghost is not speaking of the Children of God, but when he is describing those whom, if they should “fall away,” it is impossible “to renew again unto repentance,” he means professors of religion, entirely destitute of a work of grace on their souls. “It is impossible,” he says, “for those who were once enlightened, and have tasted of the heavenly gift, and were made partakers of the Holy Ghost, and have tasted the good word of God, and the powers of the world to come, if they shall fall away, to renew them again unto repentance, seeing they crucify to themselves the Son of God afresh and put Him to an open shame.”
If we look at the words there certainly seems to be a very near approach to what takes place in the heart of a child of God; and yet if we examine the passage more minutely we find nothing said in it of a work of grace, nothing of repentance unto life, nothing of faith in Christ, nothing of hope in God’s mercy, nothing of love towards the people of God, in a word, nothing of that spiritual teaching which makes a man wise unto salvation.
1. The first thing said of these awful characters is that they were once enlightened.
The apostle does not say they were quickened into spiritual life, regenerated or born again; but he speaks of them as being “enlightened.” Now there are two different kinds of enlightenment: the one spiritual and saving such as the apostle speaks of in Eph. 1:18. The eyes of your understanding being enlightened, that ye may know what is the hope of his calling.” And so David “The entrance of thy word giveth light.” Ps. 119:130. “With thee is the fountain of light; in thy light shall we see light.” Ps. 36:9. In these passages, spiritual saving light is spoken of; what the Lord himself calls the “light of life” John 8:12, that is not merely light to enlighten the understanding but life accompanying it to quicken the soul. But there is another enlightenment, and of that the apostle speaks here, the enlightenment of the natural understanding; not a spiritual light such as attends a regenerating work on the conscience, but an intellectual light, whereby the truth is perceived by the natural mind in the letter of the word.
2. “And have tasted of the heavenly gift.”
In the apostolic times “gifts were communicated to the churches for the profit of the saints. There were gifts of healing, of tongues, of prophecy and others such as we find mentioned in 1 Cor. 12:8, 9. These were given for the profit of the body, and were distinct things from grace, as the apostle declares in 1 Cor. 12:31, when after describing these gifts he adds “And yet show I unto you a more excellent way,” that of “charity” or love, and then he goes on to say “Though I speak with the tongues of men and of angels, and have not charity, I am become as sounding brass, or a tinkling cymbal; and though I have the gift of prophecy, and understand all mysteries, and all knowledge; and though I have all faith, so that I could remove mountains, and have not charity I am nothing.”
These gifts then are called “heavenly gifts” as being communicated from heaven for certain purposes but are not “grace” whereby the soul is regenerated. In the exercise of these gifts a natural pleasure was found by their possessors called “tasting.” Similarly in our day, there are gifts in prayer, gifts in preaching, gifts in conversation, gifts in interpreting and expounding the scriptures. Now a man may have all these gifts, and yet be entirely destitute of grace, and when he exercises them, he may find a certain pleasure and delight in their use, which is called “tasting of the heavenly gift” and is perfectly distinct from eating the bread of life, enjoying the presence of God, and feeding by faith on the savoury meat of the gospel.
3. But it is also said, they were “made partakers of the Holy Ghost.”
This perhaps is one of the most stumbling expressions in the whole passage, but we may clear it up by comparing scripture with scripture. Do we not read of Saul that “the Spirit of God came upon him and he prophesied”? Is it not also recorded when on one occasion Saul sent messengers to take David, in two successive instances, when they came into the presence of Samuel “the Spirit of God was upon the messengers and they also prophesied”? 1 Sam. 19:20. Do we not read too what the Lord says Ex. 31:2, 3. “See, I have called by name Bezaleel, the son of Uri, the son of Hur, of the tribe of Judah; and I have filled him with the Spirit of God, in wisdom, in understanding, and in knowledge, and in all manner of workmanship, to do the work of the tabernacle.”? And did not Balaam speak by the Spirit, and prophesy wonderful things concerning the Messiah? Thus in this outward sense a man may be made a partaker of the Holy Ghost; his natural understanding being illuminated, but his soul never regenerated, nor the grace of God communicated to his heart. Balaam and his ass both spake as God moved their tongues, but the rider was no more regenerated than his beast.
4. “And have tasted the good word of God and the powers of the world to come.”
There is much in the word of God which can be understood and relished by the natural understanding; there is in parts great eloquence, many flowers of poetry, many moving expressions, and pathetic sentiments, and all these things may have a certain effect upon the natural mind, quite independent of and distinct from any revelation or application of truth to the soul by the power of the Holy Ghost, quite different from the inward reception of truth in the heart and conscience. There may be also a natural relish for “the good word of God,” and a receiving of the gospel with gladness (which is meant by the expression “the world to come”) where there is no peace nor joy in believing.
J. C. PHILPOT